photo: Jon Lester (Jeff Le/USA TODAY Sports)
In the last week for the St. Louis Cardinals, little happened. MLB labor negotiations resumed, but no noticeable progress has been made. 2021 Cardinals pitcher Jon Lester retired. Our history feature highlights the Hall of Fame career of pitcher Dizzy Dean.
MLB lockout updates
On Thursday, January 13, representatives of Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association met to discuss the first core economic proposal offered by MLB since the lockout began on December 2, 2021. News from the talks are that the MLBPA was underwhelmed by MLB’s proposal. There has been no announcement of subsequent meetings scheduled in the coming days or if the MLBPA intends to counter MLB’s proposal.
The gist of what MLB offered, according to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, is as follows:
- MLB proposed the elimination of salary arbitration for Super Two players in exchange for a system of pay based on a formula. Exactly what that formula consists of was not reported. MLB’s proposal would maintain the current system for players with three to five years of service time. The MLBPA does not want to change the current arbitration system for any players but instead wants to increase the number of eligible players by making players eligible earlier.
- A change to the amateur draft system in the form of a lottery for the top three picks in the draft order. MLBPA previously indicated that three picks were too few and would like to extend it to at least the top eight picks. The reason behind making changes to the draft is to incentivize teams against “tanking.”
- In an effort to deal with the issue of service time manipulation, a sore spot for the MLBPA, MLB proposed rewarding teams with a draft pick if top prospects qualified for major awards like Rookie of the Year. These awards require a minimum amount of at bats or innings pitched for a player to qualify. Some criticized this as not addressing the underlying problem but just incenting teams to do what they should be doing already.
Reportedly missing from MLB’s proposal are new adjustments to prior offers on the minimum salary or the competitive balance tax. Also missing was any offer to change the time it takes to reach free agency or revenue sharing. All of these are crucial issues to the MLBPA on which they have shown no inclination to budge to this point.
Spring Training is scheduled to begin in about a month with pitchers and catchers reporting. A delay seems inevitable at this time unless both sides move quickly to come to agreement in the next several weeks. A delay of the regular season as well is not out of the realm of possibility, though the financial hit that would be taken by both the owners and the players is one factor in favor of the season starting on time.
For future lockout updates check back every Monday to this report.
Former Cardinal Jon Lester retires
2021 Cardinals pitcher Jon Lester announced his retirement from baseball on Wednesday, January 12 in a story given to ESPN baseball writer Jesse Rogers. Lester, 38, came to the Cardinals in a July trade with the Washington Nationals for outfielder Lane Thomas. Lester was a key component in the Cardinals second half run to the postseason in 2021, making 12 starts with a 4.36 ERA and a 4-1 record.
Lester’s 16-year major league career included World Series championships with both the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs and ended in St. Louis with his 200th career win and a last chance at the postseason in the Cardinals Wild Card loss to the Dodgers in October. He became a free agent following the World Series.
The left-hander told Rogers that it was time, citing the increasing physical difficulty and his desire to go out on his own terms. Lester’s 200th milestone career win came during the Cardinals historic 17-game winning streak in the September 20 win in Milwaukee.
Lester told Rogers that he enjoyed his short experience in St. Louis, especially the opportunity to play with Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina.
Cardinals sign 12 on International Signing Day
Saturday, January 15 was the first day of MLB’s 2022 international signing period. Most teams sign a slate of teenagers on the first day eligible, and the Cardinals were no exception. This year’s period runs until December 15.
Each team is assigned a set pool of bonus money by MLB, and they may sign players at any time throughout the period as long as that team did not exceed its total allocation. Signing bonuses of $10,000 or less do not count toward an organization’s pool allotment, which cannot be traded.
The Cardinals had $6,262,000 in bonus pool money available for the 2022 period, tied for the most in MLB.
Below is the list of 12 players the Cardinals signed on Saturday listed by name, position, age, and hometown.
- Arfeni Batista, SS, 17, Santo Domingo, DR
- Junior Chirinos, RHP, 17, Ciudad Ojeda, Venezuela
- Won-Bin Cho, CF, 18, Seoul, South Korea
- Diego Dominguez, RHP, 17, Morelia, Mexico
- Jovi Galvez, RHP, 17, Santo Domingo, DR
- Yordy Herrera, LHP, 17, La Vega, DR
- Jonathan Mejia, SS, 16, La Romana, DR
- Yordarlin Pena, CF, 17, Haina, DR
- Luis Rodriguez, C, 17, Barquisimeto, Venezuela
- Leonel Sequera, RHP, 16, San Feliz, Venezuela
- Jose Suriel, RHP, 17, Puerto Plata, DR
- Nelfy Ynfante, RHP, 16, San Francisco de Macoris, DR
The Cardinals signed fewer prospects than they often do on the on the first day of the signing period. Of the 12 new Cardinals, two are highly ranked on both MLB.com and Baseball America international prospect lists. Jonathan Mejia is ranked 14th and 12th respectively on MLB.com and BA, while Luis Rodriguez is ranked 26th by MLB.com and 28th by BA. Mejia may have received up to $2 million to sign.
Korean Won-Bin Cho is the first Asian amateur ever signed by the Cardinals, reportedly receiving a signing bonus of up to a half-million dollars.
More detailed information on the signings is available at The Cardinal Nation here.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
There are no transactions to report.
Injury Report
There are no new injuries to report.
Looking Ahead
On December 1 the MLB/MLBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement expired. No new agreement was reached and the Commissioner’s Office announced that the owners of all 30 teams voted unanimously to institute a lockout of MLB players effective immediately.
As a result of the lockout, all major league transactions are halted indefinitely. Players and team personnel are prohibited from communicating with each other and players are not permitted to use team facilities. The parties may continue to negotiate to reach an agreement that would end the lockout.
The Cardinals annual Winter Warm-Up scheduled for January 15-17 was canceled due to the continued MLB lockout. Anyone who purchased tickets will receive an automatic refund. The Cardinals Care 50/50 raffle will go on as scheduled. The Cardinals Caravans, road trips associated with WWU, were also canceled for 2022.
The deadline for teams and arbitration eligible players to submit salary figures was originally on January 14. This deadline has likely been extended to a date after the lockout ends.
There will be no major league activity to report for the foreseeable future as long as the lockout continues.
Blast from the Past
Last week in Blast from the Past, we remembered the life of Cardinals icon Rogers Hornsby with a summary of historical facts, personal and professional, about the Hall of Fame player and manager.
This week we continue in the same manner with a look at pitcher Dizzy Dean. Dean was one of the more colorful of past Cardinal greats in the Baseball Hall of Fame. 112 years ago this past week the flamboyant Dean was born, an Arkansas native who became an unforgettable presence on a baseball field. What follows are the highlights of the life of Jay Hanna Dean.
- Dean was born on January 16, 1910, in Lucas, Arkansas, the fourth of five children. An older brother and sister died in infancy.
- Dean had two remaining brothers, one of whom, Paul aka “Daffy”, played baseball with the Cardinals alongside his brother.
- Dean’s mother died of tuberculosis when he was 7 years old. His father remarried a woman with three children of her own.
- Dizzy did not attend school past the second grade. His family moved twice, first to Chickalah, Arkansas, and then to Spaulding, Oklahoma when Dean was 15.
- Dean lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S Army at the age of 16 at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. Dean played baseball in the Army, and it was there that he was given his nickname “Dizzy.” The story is that a scout came to see Dean pitch and his superior officer allegedly told the scout that Dean was “the dizziest kid I ever had in my outfit.”
- After two years in the Army, Dean was able to raise the $100 needed to buy his exit from the service. Dean got a job reading meters for a gas company and pitched for the company baseball team.
- Once again a scout saw him pitch and recommended the Cardinals sign him. He was signed to play for the Houston Buffaloes for $100 per month.
- Dean made his major league debut in 1930 at the age of 20. His brother Paul made his way to the Cardinals four years later.
- During his seven seasons in St. Louis, Dizzy led the NL in wins twice, in 1934 and 1935. He led the National League in strikeouts four consecutive seasons from 1932 through 1935.
- Dean was named the NL Most Valuable Player of 1934. He came in second in 1935 and 1936. He also played in four straight All-Star Games from 1934-37.
- Dean married Patricia Nash in 1931. They were married for 43 years and had no children.
- Prior to the 1934 season, Dizzy predicted that he and his brother Paul would win at least 45 games between them. They delivered, as Dizzy finished the season with 30 wins and his brother had 19 for a total of 49.
- Prior to a game on May 5, 1937, Dean predicted he would strike out Vince DiMaggio, the Boston centerfielder, four times. DiMaggio struck out in his first three at bats, then hit a foul pop out in his fourth. Dean yelled at his catcher to drop the ball, which he did. Dean then struck out DiMaggio for the fourth time.
- Once Dean was sent into the game as a pinch runner. When the next hitter hit a ground ball that was likely a double play, Dean threw himself in front of the throw to first base and was hit on the head. Dean was taken to the hospital, and the newspaper headline the next day said, “X-rays of Dean’s head revealed nothing.”
- Dean was known for being short-tempered, and he often threw at hitters in anger. He was also at odds with the Cardinals leadership over his salary on several occasions.
- Dean was hit on the foot by a line drive in the 1937 All-Star Game. The ball fractured his toe, and he was out of commission for several weeks. After he returned he changed his pitching motion to avoid landing hard on the foot. The change led to an arm injury from which he never fully recovered.
- The Cardinals traded Dean to the Cubs at beginning of the 1938 season. He played four seasons in Chicago but was never again the same pitcher.
- After nearly seven seasons out of baseball, Dean attempted a comeback in the last game of the season for the St. Louis Browns in September 1947. He pitched four scoreless innings and hit a single but pulled his hamstring rounding first base. Dean gave it up for good after that and went into broadcasting.
- Dean was a broadcaster for the Cardinals, Browns, Yankees, and Braves and also for ABC and CBS from 1941-1968, beloved for his down-home style and amusing malaprops.
- Dean was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.
- After retiring from broadcasting, Dean retired with his wife to Bond, Mississippi. He passed away from a heart attack on July 17, 1974. The Cardinals retired his number 17 in September 1974. He was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in the 2014 inaugural class.
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